Liverpool have been in the market for a defensive midfielder for almost a year now and with the recent season-ending injury to Lucas Leiva, the need to find a top-class player to fill that role has become even more pressing.

Leroy Fer, Seydou Keita, Yann M'Vila and Fernando Francisco Reges are among the names that Liverpool have been linked with over the last couple of weeks and now joining them is Sandro.

Sandro has fallen down the pecking order at Tottenham due to injury and the arrival of Scott Parker from West Ham United. The talented Brazilian gave Reds fans a display of his immense quality at the tail end of last season when he gave Liverpool's midfielders a lesson in the art of defensive midfield play as Spurs beat Liverpool to end any faint hopes the Reds had of qualifying for the Champions League.

While it would seem unlikely that Spurs would be willing to sell such a talented young player to a team they are competing with for a spot in next season's Champions League, there has been some rumblings recently that if they wish to strengthen their squad in January they will need to first sell players.

While I would never put any real faith in a site like givemefootball.com, it should be noted that Liverpool were linked with Tom Huddlestone not all that long ago. That was a move that made no sense. However, if Sandro was the player they were actually looking at, it would make far more sense.

For Sandro's part, he is exactly the type of player Liverpool need. Unquestionably one of the best young defensive midfielders in the world, the Brazilian is already acclimatized to English football and has proven himself to be a match for anyone in the league.

He was first choice for his nation until injuries cost him his place and he was replaced by Liverpool's Lucas Leiva. Due to Parker's great form for Spurs, he has been unable to hold down a place in the starting lineup at club level and thus has been unable to win back his national team position.

A move away from Spurs would be ideal for him and if he were to come on the market Liverpool would be extremely foolish not to make Tottenham an offer in the region of £10-12 million, possibly even going as high as £15 million.

Sandro's agent had this to say in regards to the trade rumors:

In football you can never rule anything out, though, with it possible that negotiations will see all parties reach an agreement. Many clubs have contacted me for information on his situation, but there has been no official proposal.

While that's standard jargon from most agents at this time of year, Sandro has been linked with moves away from Spurs to bigger clubs since the day he first arrived in English football.

A top-class player, he would undoubtedly improve Liverpool's midfield and help bring them one step closer to returning the golden days to Anfield.